Cultivation methods and precautions for potted osmanthus trees

Osmanthus trees prefer warm and humid environments. In the south, they can usually be planted directly outdoors. However, if you want to plant osmanthus trees in the north, it is a good choice to grow them in pots indoors. So what are the cultivation methods and precautions for potted osmanthus trees? Let’s learn more about it below.

1. Pot soil selection

It is recommended to choose a clay pot with good air permeability. The soil can be mixed with mountain mud, leaf mold, garden soil and sand in a ratio of 5:3:2, or with garden soil, manure and river sand in a ratio of 1:1:1.

2. Reasonable watering

The osmanthus tree has a certain degree of drought resistance, so do not water it too frequently. The evaporation rate is high in summer, so watering is required once in the morning and once in the evening. In spring and early autumn, it is best to have the soil semi-moist, that is, the soil moisture content is 50%. In late autumn and winter, water only once in the morning.

3. Fertilization points

Before planting, you can apply enough decomposed and dried organic fertilizers such as chicken, cow, sheep, pig and horse manure to the bottom of the pot. The amount to be used should be 1/5 of the height of the pot. Cover the pot with soil until it is full, and then plant the osmanthus tree. This way, there is no need to apply fertilizer within a year. In addition, it is best to repot every 1-2 years. You can apply decomposed cake fertilizer when repotting. When the growth is vigorous at the end of March, you need to apply thin nitrogen fertilizer once a week. At the end of October, you can apply an appropriate amount of nitrogen-based compound fertilizer .

4. Pruning branches

When growing potted osmanthus, it is also necessary to trim the branches in time to keep it in a good plant shape for viewing. Usually, dense branches, diseased branches and old branches should be pruned off in spring, and the dead branches should be pruned off in time after flowering in autumn to enable it to grow better.

5. Winter hibernation

After bringing it indoors in winter, it should be placed in a low temperature place to make it dormant so that it can thrive and grow luxuriantly with flowers and leaves the following year. Remember not to place it in a room with heating or a room with too high temperature. If the room temperature is too high, the osmanthus will not be able to fully dormant, which will cause it to sprout prematurely and consume a lot of nutrients.

6. Notes

(1) Osmanthus trees prefer slightly acidic soil with good air permeability, and the pH value should be 5.5-6.5. Avoid using alkaline soil, otherwise the leaves will easily fall off and die.

(2) Osmanthus trees prefer sunlight and should be given sufficient light during the growing period. Therefore, potted osmanthus trees should be placed in a warm and sunny place for maintenance.

(3) Osmanthus trees are generally not cold-resistant. When cultivated in the north, it is best to move the plants indoors in winter and keep the room temperature no lower than 2°C to help the trees survive the winter safely.

In general, it is not too difficult to grow an osmanthus tree in a potted plant. Just choose strong seedlings, suitable pots and nutrient soil, and then carefully manage watering, fertilizing, pruning and other aspects. Then you can successfully get a pot of fragrant osmanthus.